


Flames In Fire ((Hajime X Nagito))

by Anuyushi



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fanfiction, M/M, Romance, Vikings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:34:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29692998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anuyushi/pseuds/Anuyushi
Summary: (Viking AU) Nagito and Hajime discover a mysterious creature one day. In their attempts to save its life, a truth comes out, and they find themselves in a bigger adventure than they could have ever expected.♚[© 2021 |@Anuyushi ]♛
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Kudos: 18





	1. Act One: A Failure

Entranced by the sparks flying through the air, I could not pull my eyes away from the blacksmith hammering away at the new sword in the making.  
What an incredible talent that was, making such wonderful creations from nothing. Not that I would ever swing one myself, I couldn't imagine hurting another with something like a sword.  
The blacksmith had come to ignore my staring after so long of my audience each day, but I still felt an annoyance sometimes. I wish there was something I could do about it, though I wasn't quite the best at making friends or having... Any skills in the slightest. Not that I really wished for special skills anyway, I would leave that to the people that could truly hone them. 

"Wait up!" A call from behind urged me to follow the voice of a small appearing girl, her blonde hair bouncing under the sunlight. She was running after a boy about my age, who was laughing as he was holding a ball. "I can't run as fast as you with your long legs!"  
"I suppose you should practice more," He teased, only for the girl to pout and halt in her tracks.  
"That's not fair Hajime, I don't even want to play this stupid game."  
Hajime stopped running as his face fell. He gave a sigh before approaching her and holding the ball out,   
"Alright alright, just stop acting sad Hiyoko, you win."  
Instantly, Hiyoko's face lit up and she took the ball back only to run in the opposite direction in victory, leaving him behind.  
Didn't he know children were always sneaky like that?   
I never spoke to Hajime personally but I had seen him around often. He didn't seem to have skills either, so he helped the community by babysitting the younger kids while their parents worked. 

An attractive guy but... I wouldn't bring myself to speak to him, let alone ask him out. At least he accomplished something, I wasn't quite good with children either.  
I found myself watching the boy, no longer interested in the blacksmith's work.   
A few others ran up to him, their faces brimming with smiles and laughter, urging him to follow, and so he did.  
Who am I to push myself into his group of friends?  
"You should talk to him," The blacksmith's gruff voice perked up, eyes still focused on his sword.   
"I couldn't," Giving a sigh, I turned back around and crossed my arms, "You don't understand Nekomaru, I'm nothing compared to them. Everyone else knows how to make something of themselves. They're full of potential, I can't even make a proper sandwich, I'd get in the way of his success."  
Nekomaru chuckled quietly as he laid out his new sword to cool,   
"Maybe you'll find your own skill with them. I see how you look at him, he'll never know if you never say a word. Try joining into their games some, beats sitting around here and watching me work."  
I couldn't argue with that, but was it really something I could do? It would be a couple of hours before the sunset, maybe... Maybe Nekomaru was right, I could play at least one game if I went after him now. 

I knew already I had a thing for Hajime, hopefully-  
No, I wouldn't start hoping for anything, I had to talk to him first. If I started wishful thinking now, it would be much too easy to feel crushed if I was denied.   
Pulling myself up from the dusty ground, I waved a quick goodbye and hurried to the direction they had gone.   
It was likely they were heading to the practice field near the woods, I knew where it was, but if they weren't there, I wasn't sure what I would do next.  
Hajime's image appeared in my mind as I hurried over; his hair was a soft brown, and his eyes matched with their perfect chestnut color. Every inch of his skin was flawless and he always knew just what to wear. Sure there were other good-looking people in the village, but Hajime made my heart leap like no other.  
I already knew it was love, but...

I could never talk to him before. I trusted Nekomaru though, more than I trusted my own conscience, he must've known what he was talking about.   
Arriving at the practice field, I released a physical sigh of relief upon seeing Hajime and his friends kicking around a spare ball through the grass.   
Ibuki gave a strong kick, passing it to Leon, who took it on to reach the end of the field where some sticks had been arranged for a scorebox.  
It looked interesting, was there a name for it?  
Hajime was guarding the sticks, and when Leon kicked, he jumped to block it, missing it just in time for it to fly into a tree and bounce back, nearly hitting Hajime once more had he not dodged.   
I nearly laughed, but stopped myself quickly. I didn't want to appear like I was laughing at Hajime if I was trying to get on his good side.  
With that, it looked like everyone was taking a short break before going again, and my opportunity opened. But what would I say, what would I do?   
What if I was too obvious I had a crush on him?  
What if they turned me away?  
I didn't realize I was nearly there until Ibuki turned back and grinned,  
"Hey, we got a stowaway!" She called to the others playfully, long hair bouncing as she moved.  
"Oh hello," I gave a wave before mentally slapping myself.  
What sort of plain greeting just left my mouth?  
"Is that Komaeda?" Leon huffed in a somewhat teasing manner. That response, I wasn't surprised of. Many people knew how useless I was, I was teased about it all the time.  
"Sorry if I'm intruding," My gaze turned to Hajime, whose face mirrored interest and confusion. "I was just hoping to join into your game for a little bit? It looks fun."  
"Yeah I suppose," Hajime shrugged before looking to the others, "It'll be time to head home soon, it shouldn't be a big deal, right?"  
The rest of the group gave disgruntled nods and shrugs but didn't complain aloud.  
As expected of Hajime, he was so kind, even to someone like me.

Before I even asked, Leon clicked his tongue,  
"The goal is to hit the ball between the sticks there," He pointed out towards the sticks Hajime was guarding, "But you can't use your hands. Easy enough?"  
It sounded easy, if nothing went wrong of course.  
Still, I forced a smile and nod,  
"Of course! Thank you."  
The boy gave a dismissive wave then got into position again, "Let's just do this."  
I didn't mind if Leon didn't appreciate my appearance, I was used to that sort of welcoming. I was just here for Hajime anyway, so it wasn't too much a bother.  
Hajime picked up the ball then looked out to the field before throwing it in and having it fall in front of Ibuki.   
With a flash, she kicked it in my direction, likely to give me a chance to play but with how sudden it was, I didn't realize I was kicking until the ball was flying in the air.  
"Hey!" Leon hissed as the group and I watched it fly into the forest and vanish among the trees. "Great, that was our last ball. Komaeda just makes a mess at everything he does." He shook his head, not even bothering to look at me. 

He was right, it was my first kick and I managed to lose the ball and make a mess out of everything, and now I ruined Hajime's game with his friends.  
How foolish I was to think it would be any different, I shouldn't have even bothered, someone like me would never win Hajime's heart.  
I was about to turn and leave when Hajime suddenly spoke up,  
"Come on now, it's not a problem, it couldn't have gone that far, I'll just go in and grab it."  
"In the forest?" Ibuki raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, we haven't explored much of it and none of us have our swords. It could be dangerous."  
"I'll go!" I raised my hand quickly, catching everyone's attention. "I kicked it, it's only right if I go with Hajime to get it."  
The group of teenagers remained silent, giving glances to each other before Leon sniffled,   
"No offense but you couldn't pick up a stone with your scrawny arms. You'd only be a liability to him." The boy gave a look to Hajime for his input but he simply shrugged it off.   
"If he can kick that hard, it should be fine. It's not like bears get this close to the village in the middle of the day anyway. Last resort, I still have my knife."  
The male gestured to the small belt around his baggy bags where a holstered blade sat.  
"And if they do-" Ibuki punched a fist into her open hand, "Ibuki would beat it until it cries mommy!"  
The brunette boy blinked before giving a forced grin, "... Right, you do that. Anyway, we'll get the ball."  
He gave a wave for me to follow, and I nearly felt my heart stop right there.

Maybe this was good luck after all, being alone with Hajime... In the forest... I hurried to run after but I kept my gaze to the ground as I walked.  
As exciting as it was, I still couldn't help feeling bashful.  
"What made you decide to join us?" He suddenly made conversation. "I wouldn't have taken you for the sporting type."  
"Oh, I'm not. Not really," I gave a short glance his way only to avert eye contact once more. It was too soon for eye contact. "I thought I'd give it a try, but it seems like I'm not that good."  
"Really?" Hajime shortly laughed as he raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, that was a pretty strong kick. It could be your thing with some more practice and control."  
"Maybe," Hopefully he didn't realize how forced my laugh was just then, I only felt bad about causing the mess. "I'm sorry about all this though, you were kind enough to let me join in and-"  
"It's not a big deal," I suddenly felt his eyes on me, "You're Komaeda, right? Nagito Komaeda?"  
"Yeah..." I met his eyes slowly. Hearing my name roll off his lips sparked even more warmth in my chest. "How do you know my name?"  
"I've heard it around," He simply shrugged. "Rumors and such. You don't have a great reputation I'm afraid."  
"I'm aware," How unlucky it was that he knew about that, giving a sigh, I caught sight of his face falling as though he thought he hurt me.   
"Oh but I don't listen to them, rumors are just rumors, bored people talk. I think you're pretty cool actually. Especially your hair, it's..."  
"Messy," I thought I'd finish for him. I had heard plenty about my wild hair already, that's the first thing people see about me. I've tried fixing it up before but no matter what I did, I could never seem to tame it.

"Fluffy," Hajime changed it, "Sort of like a dandelion. I think it's neat."  
Was that just a compliment? Before I could respond, Hajime hurried ahead,   
"Anyway where is that ball? It couldn't have gotten this far. Did it get stuck in a tree?"  
He was right, I couldn't see it anywhere. I thought to look up to the trees to catch sight of it but no such luck.  
The male moved further away, likely to check around the ground, while I stayed and scanned the branches for any sign of a ball lodged between.  
My feet kicked up the forest floor as I dragged them, feeling a slight hint of disappointment. I thought I was starting to get somewhere, but maybe it was just Hajime being nice like always. Truly, I didn't know a whole lot about him, only from what I'd seen from afar and heard people say. What was I to say to win his favor? That was all I truly wanted, really.

Without warning, a surprised scream echoed, and without thinking, I hurried to where Hajime had wandered, nearly falling into him from where he had fallen back into the floor.  
"Hajime are you okay-" I started, seeing his shocked state. Body shaking, eyes wide, he made no move to pull himself up from the ground.  
As he pointed, I followed the direction to see a strange creature nestled into the fallen leaves, knawing on the ball without care. It was like no creature I had ever seen before.


	2. Act Two: A Savior

The sharp teeth of the creature glistened as it dug deeper into the ball. Good thing it wasn't hollow, an air ball wouldn't have withstood the sharp chomps.  
"Is it... A bear cub?" I tried to get a better look but it was much too hidden behind the ball for a proper analysis.   
"If it was, we wouldn't want the mother tracking our scent." Hajime took a few slow breaths. He seemed unharmed, aside from being shaken from the sudden creature. "Let's go, we can get another one."  
As he pulled himself up, I almost made a move to follow him back but something stopped me. Perhaps I was simply a fool, it was one of the things I had been commonly called before, but... It just didn't feel right.  
"Hey... Hajime?" I called back to him, urging the boy to stop.   
What was I doing? 

I inched myself closer, trying my best not to scare the small... Toothy animal.   
The last thing I wanted was to be bitten, but...  
"Do bear cubs usually have horns?"  
"What?" He muttered from behind before he stepped up beside me, squinting at the creature. "What the hell?"  
Peeking over the ball as the creature moved, four sharp horns made their appearance, previously hidden from the angle when we had first arrived.  
Excitement and fear dropped in my gut in an instant and I shot a quick glance to Hajime,  
"I'll take a look. I don't mind if I get hurt instead so just wait here."  
"Wait hold on-!"   
I did want to listen, but at the same time, if it was a new creature, one that was dangerous, I would prefer I be the test subject before someone that was actually useful to the village.

Hajime didn't run after me as I stepped closer, but the creature shot attention up at me, red eyes glistening like snakes.  
It lay still, frozen as its small body of scales bristled.   
Was it afraid? It didn't need to be afraid of me.  
It didn't seem particularly dangerous at least, and I allowed myself to exhale a sigh of relief.   
When I kneeled down, the creature released the grip on the ball and started to back away, allowing me a proper view.  
A slender body covered in shining moonlit scales, eyes as red as the most perfect of apples. And yet the four horns sprung atop its head made it look like no creature I had ever seen. 

"What is it?" Hajime called out, breaking me from the trance.   
"I'm not sure," Where were my words all of a sudden? To find something so magnificent with Hajime, how could I not feel just a little excited?  
The creature buried its long claws into the dirt, as though frozen like a stunned deer. It was likely it had never seen a person either.  
Was it a baby? An adult?   
How could one be sure?  
"It almost looks like a dog," I cocked my head and offered my hand for it to sniff. "It could pass for one if it didn't have horns I think."  
"What, so a deformed wolf?" I heard his footsteps approaching from behind as the creature moved to examine my hand.  
I could feel the warm breath against my skin, and the gentle nudge as it found comfort in allowing itself to get closer.  
How incredible, if only I knew what it was.  
When Hajime's shoulder brushed against mine, I felt my heart stop for half a moment, but he paid me no mind, rather, his gaze remained focused on the creature that didn't react to his presence. 

I had to bite on my lip and swallow back just to control my own heart as he simply let himself be so close.  
It would be so easy to scoot closer, and lean against him, but... Oh but of course I couldn't do that, he had no idea I liked him at all, let alone felt close enough to me to just allow me to do something like that.  
"It's pretty strange that it's not afraid of us," He noted aloud, but admittedly I was only half listening. "It might be a young one of its kind that got separated from the others."  
I simply hummed, too busy entranced by Hajime's perfect face. The little creature began to nuzzle against my hand, which it could do all day if I got to be close to the man I had a deep crush on.  
"We should take it to Gundham, I'm sure he has some idea of what it is. It might be dangerous to leave it here so close to the village border, especially if the adults aren't this friendly." 

Suddenly everything within my mind shattered. I quickly pulled myself up, causing the creature to give a small, surprised cry and fall back.   
"We couldn't-!" I tried, only for Hajime to frown,  
"We can't just leave it here Komaeda," As kind as Hajime was, he looked to the creature and offered a smile, seeming to reassure it once more. "I mean, look how close it was left to the edge of the village. We don't know what this thing is, and right by the playing field too, imagine an adult with horns and fangs like this attacking a child?"  
I couldn't find the will to argue, he was right, we couldn't simply leave it here and wait for the adults to find it again, especially now that the entire area and baby smelled of us.   
I found my eyes wandering to the ball, deep bites buried deep within it in just the short time we had been looking.   
I couldn't help a shiver thinking about those same teeth finding themselves within me.   
I couldn't tell him the real reason I didn't want to see Gundham, that being my own petty selfishness.  
I wanted to stay here with Hajime, and maybe find my words into his love life, but if he was so focused on the creature, I couldn't stop him. Maybe it would be time for it later, so finally I gave a heavy exhale,  
"Alright, what will you do if it's dangerous though?"

"I wouldn't kill it of course," Hajime pulled himself back up and met my eyes, "But we would have to relocate it farther away and hope the parents don't get tempted to wander into the village. So we can't keep it there for long."  
"We..." I repeated aloud before quickly clearing my throat. I was a bigger mess today than usual, these stupid emotions were getting in the way. "I mean, you'll let me come too?"  
"Obviously," He sighed matter-of-factly, "We found it together, Gundham will need to hear your account too. Plus I'll need help getting it through the village."  
Hajime's eyes wandered down me, quickly making me feel really small. Was he checking me out? Did I look good enough to be before him as I was? What was he staring at?  
Suddenly he raised an eyebrow,   
"Why are you staring at me funny? Can I borrow your coat or not?"  
"Oh!" 

I looked down to the fluffy animal pelt I had been wearing, draped around my shoulders and hanging down to my knees. I had nearly forgot I was wearing it.  
"Of course," As I started to pull it off, I kept the last sentence I wanted to say to myself. That being, 'Anything for you, perfect Hajime.'  
My coat was the least I could let him borrow, and once he had it in his arms, Hajime approached the small creature, giving kissing noises as though it were a cat.   
Before it could even react, he scooped it up, allowing only its face to pop out of my jacket.   
"Don't worry," He attempted to coax the already relaxed creature, "We'll let you go soon enough."  
"What do we tell the others?" I hurried to catch up as Hajime was already walking away, but he simply sighed,   
"I'll handle it. I get the feeling you're not the best at socializing."  
"You can read right through me," Although I laughed, he did not. Had I said something bothersome? Did my smell offend?  
He wouldn't give me a single look as we made our way through the trees, attention entirely focused on the animal.  
I didn't want to upset him, not when I finally managed to get close to him after all this time, but what more could I do?  
The sunlight seeping through the gentle tree leaves gave no comfort today like it usually did. How did I manage to be in this situation at all?  
Not just here and right now but... How did I fail so badly at life that the entire village hated me with everything they could muster?   
Why couldn't I have been born with some amazing skill that would allow me to help the village like the others? I wasn't a blacksmith or a hunter, I couldn't sail a ship or navigate voyages, I couldn't even prepare a meal or write our history without failing somehow.   
And now, even as I tried with all my might, I found myself failing at creating simple bonds.   
I gave a heavy exhale and crossed my arms, hugging myself tightly as Hajime and I stepped out of the woods where his small friend group was waiting for us.  
Ibuki looked up from where she sat on the ground, pulling out the grass in clumps. Leon was digging his boots into the dirt, causing a small hole to form as he boredly pushed it around.

"Did you find the ball?" He didn't bother looking up, but Hajime smiled anyway.  
"Unfortunately not, Komaeda started to overheat though," He held up my coat, likely an excuse as to why he was carrying it. "I'm going to walk him back into town so he can get a checkup. It would be bad if he had a heatstroke while being with us."  
"Yeah whatever," The ginger boy clicked his tongue, "You don't have to detail everything, it's getting late anyway."  
I felt relief roll off my shoulders just then, and I could have collapsed from their unsuspecting attitudes if I didn't have to hurry to catch up with Hajime as he left the field.  
"Why did you lie to them?" I kept my voice hushed in case anyone overheard.  
Looking back and forth, Hajime surveyed the surroundings of people starting to return to their homes as the sun set beyond the ocean horizon. It wasn't until we moved down a road where everyone had vacated did he finally answer.  
"We're carrying the baby of an unknown species through town, and have no idea how dangerous the adults are. I don't want some gung-ho to try killing it before we get any answers."

"I suppose that makes sense..." Still, they were his friends, right? I wouldn't question his relationships though, not when we only spoke for the first time today.  
Moving up a long pair of stairs, Gundham's house became closer. Even from the distance, I could hear the cries of birds that circled the area, and yaps from dogs drowning out the other various animal sounds.  
Gundham was known to be rather good with animals, but how good?  
Would he know what creature we had in our hold?


	3. Act Three: A Truth

"Can I help you?" Gundham peeked his nose out the door, leg pushed against the bottom of the crack while a snout tried to push its way through.

"Uhh..." Hajime started, giving me a short glance before clearing his throat, "Yeah, we have an animal with us, do you have anything to identify it?"  
I heard the creature give a short chirp, bringing Gundham to stare at the coat in curious suspicion before chuckling.   
"Very well, wait here while I put the hounds of hell to sleep." 

Without another word, the door slammed shut. Silence fell between Hajime and I but the house was nothing short of chaos from the inside.  
Gundham's shouts from inside were in a language I had never heard spoken before. With his ushering, the barking calmed before vanishing completely.  
"What is he doing?" Raising an eyebrow, I turned to Hajime who simply shrugged.  
It wasn't long before the door flew open completely and he stood before us, wrapped in layers of confusing cloth. I couldn't tell where his fur coat ended and his scarf began.   
"Pardon, the hounds would have jumped all over you." He gave a small wave and stepped aside, allowing us to enter his house.  
Almost instantly, the scents of animals mingled together to give off a scent that was both dry, yet moist. Bad, yet nonexistent, as though I had shoved my nose into a pile of hay.   
I allowed myself to take in my surroundings of the many wooden cages, holding back small rodents, birds, and various reptiles.   
The sound of dogs jumping against the bedroom door pulled me to look over for a short moment. I couldn't help but wonder if they would scare the mysterious creature but giving it a look, the creature was fairly unphased. It must have been a baby if all the new things didn't seem to bother or scare it.  
Gundham let the two of us to what looked to be a grooming table and pat his hand on it.   
"Set the creature down, I shall obtain my examination kit."  
Without so much of a glance, the man stroke away, his long robes dragging across the ground. He was... A rather strange fellow, but what right did I have to judge?  
Hajime started to the table and set the coat down atop of it, where the baby creature fidgeted and pushed it around to find comfort hiding beneath.  
With a heavy exhale, I turned attention to Hajime. 

"I don't want to... Question you, but is this a good idea? What if Gundham tells the entire village?"  
"I trust him," Hajime gave a smile that made my heart melt inside my chest. "He's all for the animals. He wouldn't do anything to put it in danger."  
How could I argue with his sincere attitude? I would simply have to trust his judgment, and trust him along with it.  
When Gundham returned, he placed a decently sized wooden box on the table, filled to the brim with unfamiliar tools.   
"Show me the creature," Was his first order.  
I could feel myself holding my breath as my coat was lifted off it and loosely set on the ground, revealing it to the three of us.  
The red eyes shimmered with wonder and it gave a small chirp, momentarily exposing the sharp fangs.  
Gundham's eyes remained locked upon it, sharp and focused. For a long minute, he remained frozen in place and stared before reaching out and setting his hand atop his head.  
It flinched at the touch, lowering itself to the table in... Submission?  
"What did you just do?" Hajime looked to Gundham, then the creature.  
"Do not show fear, animals can feel that. If you request an animal to accept you, you are in the control. As this, I am accepting him first. He will be well behaved as I examine him now."  
He truly sounded like an animal expert, I didn't know a thing about animals, so his statement mostly fell on deaf ears.   
"How do you know?" I spoke without thinking, "We've never seen this animal before."  
Lowering his hand, Gundham chuckled and moved to reach into the box.   
"Foolish Komaeda, just a single look, and I am bestowed knowledge of the ancestors to such a feeble child of earth."  
As he rummaged for a certain tool, he didn't speak again. Although I wasn't entirely sure what Gundham was trying to say, and I doubted he would repeat himself to clarify.   
It was likely I would just have to accept he was smart about such things.  
With a slow inhale, I crossed my arms and took a glance to Hajime, who looked more interested than confused.  
Everything would be fine, right?

Finally finding what he was looking for, Gundam pulled out a thick stick and placed it before the creature.  
"For him to bite. This will measure jaw strength while I check on more displeasing aspects. You will block his mouth with it when he attempts to bite," The animal expert was looking to Hajime, "It will be easy, I will simply check for retractable claws but I am a stranger touching and squeezing his feet. Do you understand?"  
The brunette nodded quickly and picked up to the stick, the animal's wide eyes watching the movement without knowing how uncomfortable it was about to be.   
It started towards Hajime on unsteady legs but Gundham was quick to grab and hold the creature in place.  
I felt stupid needing to ask, and with an awkward laugh, I cocked my head,   
"How do you know it's male?"  
"It does not take an expert to notice below the tail," He didn't even look at me before suddenly grabbing at his feet. The small animal let out an alarmed cry and reared back with a gaping jaw before Hajime lurched forward and put the stick between his teeth, causing it to chomp down.   
What was unexpected though was the instant splinting of the stick, crushed with incredible power as though it was never an obstacle. 

In that instant, I felt the worst outcome was near until Gundham quickly released, avoiding a bite from the small, yet strong animal.  
"I'm sorry!" Hajime quickly bowed his head. "I wasn't expecting he would get through it that easily!"  
But to that, Gundham released a proud laugh that echoed around the room before waving him off,   
"At ease, I can't say I was expecting that either. What a powerful bite he has for a youngling. I have learned what I needed though."  
"What is it?" As Hajime and I spoke at the same time, I quickly silence myself, biting down on my lower lip to avoid feeling a blush.   
Why was I flustered over something as small as speaking at the same time?  
Luckily, Gundham didn't seem to notice as he circled around the table,   
"Webbing through the toes, and non-retractable claws, he is built for swimming with that tail of his as well." He nodded to the semi-thick tail, barbed with arrow points, likely to be used as fins. "Horns and scales, it's obvious he is more reptile than mammal."   
Suddenly Gundham's eyes lit up and he rubbed his chin in thought.

I couldn't help looking to Hajime, who looked just as confused as I felt as we both kept silent for him to think.  
Suddenly, without a word, Gundham gently reached for the animal and ran his hand down the side of his small body.  
His scales bristled but he seemed to enjoy that touch much more and made a sound similar to purring from the gentle pets.  
But the look across Gundham's face was that of someone who was looking for something.  
Bringing his hand up to the animal's shoulder, he gave a click of his tongue as though he found it and pushed against the spot, where the animal chirped and I felt my heart stop as two wings bat-like spread out from his body. 

"As I suspected," Gundham chuckled as he crossed his arms proudly. "Gentlemen, this is not a new creature."  
He waved his hand for us to follow, urging us to the bookcase and riling up the dogs locked in the bedroom once more upon hearing the movement.  
That was easy enough to ignore, but Gundham looked to be shaking a bit as he pulled out an old, tattered book.  
"Nobody speaks of them any longer as they had been reduced to a ridiculous myth. Giant killers of the skies, whom were warriors, nightmares, and gods." He flipped open the book, dust falling from it as though it were as old as time.

"Long ago, the ancient beasts fought the ancient humans," He showed us a proud creature, with wings spread and exposing the tongue of a snake. "They were pushed into the ocean and forced to feed on fish and breathe through gills. That is what the stories say after all."  
Hajime was the first to reach out and take the book, flipping through the pages of the fairy tale.   
I attempted to lean over his shoulder but I couldn't help eying the pictures drawn within instead.   
Compared to the humans drawn with it, they looked bigger than the most massive tree in the forest. Was that really the sort of creature sitting on the table now, drooling and biting its own tail?  
"They must be returning to the surface now, if you found the descendant of one." Gundham huffed, bringing my eyes back to him once more. 

"But... Was is it?"

For a long moment, he kept himself silent, averting eye contact carefully before sighing and looking between Hajime and I.   
"You discovered a dragon."


	4. Act Four: A Trial

"Aim and fire!"

Arrows blitzed through the skies, piercing the air with unprecedented accuracy before ripping through the fabric of the targets. Every single one hitting the bullseye before the students lowered their bows.

I found myself biting at my nails, unable to sit still on the sidelines as I waited for Hajime to finish practicing.  
Unlike me, he knew he was bad at everything and was trying to get better, something I didn't know until he led me to the arena.  
How foolish of me to not even know something like that. Could I really fall for a guy I don't know a thing about?  
"Ready?!"  
The coach's call came once more and the bows were reloaded and raised. I exhaled and leaned back against the wall.   
What were we going to do about the dragon?

I had volunteered to keep it hidden at my house until we came up with a plan but I didn't know how to take care of a fish let alone a creature like that.  
In addition, every time Hajime attempted to approach and come up with a plan, I found myself shying away and making excuses.  
I'd only planned to talk to him for a day and then dream about it for the rest of my life, wishing I'd just asked him out, and now I found myself in a situation where he was approaching me first, talking to me before I was ready, and we shared... A secret.  
Did he even consider me a friend at the moment... Did I consider him one?  
Heaving another sigh, I closed my eyes, taking in the sounds of the arrows puncturing the targets.  
Right then, a shadow blocked out the light of the sun, and I found myself looking across to a strange-looking girl.  
Unfamiliar to my memories, but she only continued to stare, blinking with bright, curious eyes.  
"You're... Komaeda, right?"  
She spoke slowly, voice soft and whispy, almost like the silk of a spider.   
Was she another who knew of my poor reputation? Before I responded, I took a look at her clothes, not fit at all for archery practice, and her warm pink hair was clean and tidy, brushed to velvet perfection.  
She was certainly above my league... If I even had a league, that was. Not in a romantic way either, compared to her, I wouldn't have been surprised if she was the chief's daughter while I lived on the streets, sort of league.

"Yeah," I forced a smile, preparing myself for the common degrading. "That's me. If I'm not supposed to be here, I don't mind-"  
"That's alright-" She abruptly cut me off. "You've... Been hanging out with Hajime, I think. I haven't seen you two together before. You seem close."  
Was that what this was? I surely hope I wasn't dragging Hajime's reputation down with mine. I quickly gave a laugh, trying to wave it off.  
"I guess you could say that we're close. Not close close in a... close way, but close." What was I saying, I needed to shut my mouth. "It's nothing really, we just decided to hang out." Finally clamping my lips, I turned my eyes away from her.  
What a fantastic first impression I was giving off.  
"I'm glad," She suddenly sighed in relief. When I turned back, she had a bright smile across her face. "I'm... Chiaki. I used to be one of Hajime's friends but... Maybe we just drifted apart. He always looked so lonely."  
"Lonely?" 

Hajime? Lonely? I found myself gazing to the archery class, where the brunette let loose another arrow. He wouldn't let his eyes stray from the target.   
I wondered... Did he ever know I looked at him like this?  
After a moment, I shook away that thought before I got lost in his perfect looks, eyes shining beneath the sun... I brandished it away again and pulled attention back to Chiaki.  
"That can't be right, Hajime is always surrounded by people. He knows everyone in town, I mean, he's the best babysitter we have. The kids love him."  
"Perhaps," Her face fell once more. "But there is still loneliness in his eyes. I think he is trying to find friendship but... Is only making a lot of acquaintances instead. They're not friends, they're just... People that occupy his time."

I nearly found myself wanting to ask why the two of them had a fallout but stopped myself short. What place was it of mine to dig into Hajime's past?  
As much as I wanted to know, I couldn't. Not only out of respect, but fear.   
If he didn't perhaps... Swing that way, and this girl... I bit down on my lip, hard enough to crush that thought before it could even show its face.   
With a heavy sigh, I forced the best smile I could muster.  
"I do hope Hajime would consider me a... A friend." Perhaps one day even more? "I think we need time to figure it out though."  
Rather than responding, Chiaki gave a short nod, her fluffy hair bounding as though she were a child.  
A sudden shout from the field whipped my attention back to the class, the bows being lowered and placed before the instructor.  
Hajime used his sleeve to wipe some sweat off his forehead before rubbing his fingers together. I'd never used a bow, but of course, I'd seen for myself how they could annoy the fingers.

The thought crossed my mind that I could hold his hands to soothe out the friction caused by the bow, but I wouldn't really do something so intimate, that thought, I would keep.  
For a short second, we locked eyes and Hajime offered a small wave ad he started towards my direction. With a short panic, I turned to Chiaki only to find she had slipped away at some point and vanished, leaving me alone with my crush heading towards me.  
"Komaeda, I didn't think you'd wait for me the entire time," He rigidly laughed, body relaxed as though he was completely fine with interacting with myself.  
"Oh, yeah," Multiple things came to mind at what I could say, but all of them made me sound like a complete fool.  
Not that I minded looking like a fool to anyone else, it was just him I couldn't imagine acting such a way to.  
After a long moment of my words drifting off, Hajime cleared his throat, continuing on his own as the awkward tension dug even deeper.  
"Yeah. Uh, you don't mind if we maybe take the... You-know-what into the forest today?"  
With short air quotations and a raised eyebrow, he obviously meant the dragon, we've yet to name.   
"Are you sure?" I looked around before lowering my voice. "What- What for? Isn't it dangerous for the town to have a chance at seeing him?"  
"We can't keep sitting around," The boy gave a small frown, "We need to find any others, maybe adults. That thing can't be in the town if the parents come looking. You saw those pictures, right? They're massive and dangerous."  
"But..." 

Trying to wrap my mind around the idea, I found myself shaking my head quickly.   
"We can't," I finally concluded. "It's too risky to bring him back out into the streets a second time. Plus, he's too young to be alone. If we don't find any parents... We can't sneak a dangerous animal through town that many times."  
Of course, it was all just defenses, in reality, I just wanted to cling to my excuse to keep speaking to Hajime like this, but I felt a crushing in my heart when his eyes darkened sadly and he frowned.   
"It's dangerous either way, I thought we were together in this. You're a lucky guy, aren't you?"  
"Together..." I repeated back, taking his words into account carefully.  
To think Hajime would know about my rumors, it was almost flattering if they weren't so completely wrong. Everyone claimed I was lucky because I was good at narrowly avoiding bad situations, such as the time hunters nearly stabbed me with deer antlers but I had been just a centimeter out of reach, and when the town's food went rotten and everyone got sick, only for me to have decided to skip a meal that day.  
There was also the time I had been chosen for a ship voyage before a few people argued I couldn't with my poor skills, and the ship sank only a few days later, but I was starting to get ahead of myself.

With my good luck, there also came bad.  
In return for avoiding the antlers, I stepped on a biting bug on my way back home, and avoiding the bad food, my house had been robbed in the night.  
For the ship... Maybe finding the dragon this time and being stuck in such a difficult situation.   
But nobody ever saw the bad luck that followed, making a rumor that I was simply someone very lucky.  
Hajime continued to look at me with large, pleading eyes, unwavering.  
"Komaeda, I can't do this alone. This is real, we can't mess around with something like this. We need to try to get it out of town. We're friends, right?"  
Something sharp pierced my heart and I found myself taking a step backward before I could stop myself.   
"Friends?" I swallowed back, "Are we friends? You aren't just saying that to get me to come with you?"  
For a moment, Hajime's eyebrows furrowed in confusion before he stood up straight again, acting completely casual once more.   
"Well yeah, I thought we were. Plus it's kinda staying at your house too. Did you think we weren't friends?"  
Opening my mouth to argue, something stopped me. No words escaped my lips. I felt my hands shaking ever so slightly before inhaling,  
"I'm not sure. I'm not sure who would want to be friends with me with my reputation. Who would want to be friends with someone like me?" I laughed it off but he didn't crack a smile, urging me to continue. "I thought you only wanted to hang out because we both knew about the you-know-what. I haven't really been any help this whole time, if anything, I made it worse."

"What are you talking about?" The boy crossed his arms over his fur sleeves. "We would have left a baby alone in the woods if you didn't decide to be brave and look closer."  
"That's what I mean," I didn't hesitate to shoot back. "We would have left it as a bear cub and gone on with our lives, and now look, we're stuck with a dangerous creature staying in my house. If the Chief finds out about it... He'll...."  
Suddenly, Hajime's hands were on my shoulders, clinging with a tight grip to keep me in place.   
The closeness, the heat radiating off his body, the way his eyes were piercing back into mine, I had no choice but to hold my breath to avoid doing anything at that moment I'd live to regret.

"Komaeda, you're panicking. Slow down and think about it. We saved an innocent baby too. We wouldn't have found it if you didn't have the strength you did when you kicked that ball. All the effort of saving it, hiding it, identifying it, homing it, it'll all go to waste if we back out now. It's not much, just a walk in the forest to see if we can find others."  
Hajime didn't move or pull away. His grip only grew tighter waiting for my response.  
He did have a... Way with words.   
Finally, I needed to break eye contact and look to the ground.  
"Alright, you're probably right. Just... Please let me go."  
"Oh right-" He quickly reeled his hands back and gave a lopsided smile. "I guess I got a bit too emotional just then. Let's head over to your house and pick it up, and maybe we can set out when it's a bit darker."  
"What-?"

Raising my eyes to the sky, still as bright as a midsummer day, a stone dropped in my stomach. Hajime planning on staying at my house until night?  
How was I expected to act being stuck in a small room with him that entire time?


	5. Act Five: A Belief

"This is your house?"  
Hajime lowered his hood when he stepped inside my small cabin. It wasn't much, and I wasn't exactly expecting company, but it was enough.  
I gave a smile, closing the door behind us as we stepped inside.  
"I could get you something to eat?" I tried to offer, "The voyagers brought back this new fruit a couple weeks ago. It's starting to go bad but if we eat it now I think it'll still be..."  
"I'm good," He waved off my offer, seemingly more focused on taking a look around. "Hey, Komaeda, you didn't have any parents growing up, did you?"  
"No," The question seemed out of nowhere, it nearly took me off guard for a moment. "They died when I was young, I don't remember them well. It was a... Hunting accident I think, a bear."

At least that was what the others had told me. The town had all taken a part in raising me but only because it was the morally right thing to do. But I still remembered being passed back and forth as the people desperately tried to find something I was good at, only to eventually give up and hand me off to someone else. I wouldn't say it was stable, but I turned out fine, I think?  
Once I was old enough to handle myself, I was simply given a small, rundown place at the edge of town and away from everyone else. After that, it was history. Everyone tried to forget I existed.

Hajime's lips curled to a frown before he crossed his arms.  
"I wouldn't have let a hound stay here. How have you managed the whole time?"  
What was he talking about? It was a bit old and worn but it still..... I cocked my head, meeting Hajime's worried gaze.  
"There's not much wrong with it. I have everything I need."  
"There's a draft," Hajime's attention moved to the windows. "The floor is rotting in on itself," With a short tap against the floorboards, it gave off a squeak. "It's like you haven't even swept the floors in years, it's filthy."  
A long pause fell between the two of us before Hajime's shoulders fell,  
"You haven't swept the floors in years."

"I guess it slipped my mind." I was starting to feel like a fool and rethinking my decision on allowing Hajime to enter. This was something you broke off a bond for, right? Who would want to be close to a disgusting, filth of a pig like me who didn't even sweep his own floors?  
But Hajime released a sigh and took another look around.  
"I suppose that would be something parents teach you. For living alone all this time with no guidance, it's decent. But some people should come by and touch it up a bit I think. You don't deserve to live in a place falling apart like this."  
"Oh but I do!" It suddenly slipped out before I could stop myself, and before I knew it, Hajime was giving me a look of concern, disappointment, anger, and any other emotion mixed upon his face. I didn't want to argue with him, not again, so before he could get a word in, I took over first and continued. "I mean, I'm really just a talentless waste of space. Too weak to forge a sword, too dumb to read a map, I can't aim an arrow or mark a trail, I can't seem to manage to prepare food or repair the broken, I can't even look after a kid. Really, it's more than enough the Chief put me in a home to begin with when I'm nothing but a waste of time and space."  
"I..." Hajime's eyes flickered in hesitation before he averted looking at me altogether. "I see. Why would think that way after all this time of being shunned for being useless, I could get it. But it's wrong, who says your worth has to be decided on what you can do for others?"  
I couldn't help but be taken aback, unable to think of a proper reply. The boy gave a long sigh before turning around and facing me, much closer than I suddenly felt comfortable with.

"I'm not too great at these sorts of talks so bear with me here, but who ever said your worth was measured that way? What can you do for yourself? You don't live to treat other people, or at least you shouldn't be. What about you? What do you want to accomplish, what do you want?"  
The brunette's eyes were stern and focused, looking at me with the utmost sincerity and seriousness.  
I could feel my heart beating in my chest, thumping against my ribs at the closeness.  
I couldn't stop it, not before the single "you", left my lips.  
Hajime blocked, taken aback before stepped away, face full of surprise. At that moment, it hit me what I just said.  
"What?" He raised an eyebrow, urging me to clear my throat,  
"What I mean is-!"

I didn't get to finish before a clang came from upstairs where my bedroom was and attention was diverted to there.  
Why did I say that? What is wrong with me?!  
I repeated the question over and over, slapping myself mentally as much as I could as I followed Hajime upstairs.  
When he pushed open the door, the small dragon sat on the ground, wrapped in the blankets dragged off my bed, and now were covered in claw marks and bites. 

As for the wood flooring, it was already scraped up, and even the walls looked like they had been rammed with the baby animal's four horns.  
"Why..." What was I even supposed to say? My bedroom was wrecked. I took a long, careful look at the damage before staring back to the dragon, mouth still carrying a handful of the blanket.

His eyes glistened looking up to us before it unfurled its wings, previously hidden beneath his scales.  
"Close the door!" Hajime quickly ordered, which I didn't think twice to obey, slamming it behind us right as the dragon took flight.  
Unsteady, and yet fast, the creature was hurting at us, and rather than attempting to stop it with my bare hands, I moved aside just in time before he collided with the door.  
But rather than fall, his sharp claws dug into the wood frame and he gave another flap of his wings in the struggle.  
"Maybe we should get a leash," Hajime finally exhaled when it seemed to have calmed down.  
"Right..."  
Now that the adrenaline was finally dropping, I quickly remembered what we had just been talking about.  
Out of all the things I could have said; A better life, a cleaner home, maybe a talent, maybe to feel welcome in the town, why did I have to I wanted Hajime?  
I didn't stop him as he started to shuffle around through my drawers. It wasn't like there was anything to hide, but maybe he could find something to use as a makeshift leash somehow.  
Knowing Hajime, of course he'd manage something.  
While he was looking, I slowly reached out and set my hand atop the dragon's head, trying to pet it to keep it calm as well.  
It probably wasn't practical to leave a wild animal in my bedroom when I left my house for so long in hindsight, but I didn't imagine it would cause as much chaos as it had.  
It was still just a baby!  
Suddenly, Hajime gave an "Aha!" before he pulled something out of one of my drawers. "Good thing you had some rope here," He held it up.  
I had no memory of ever-

"Right, just my emergency rope!" I gave a thumbs up, but still questioned it in the back of my mind. What other weird stuff was shoved in my drawers that I forgot about?  
I stepped aside as Hajime moved close and carefully tied the end of it around the dragon's neck, making for a proper leash.  
"Alright," He gave an exhausted breath when it was firmly in place before pulling the animal off the door. "Let's go around the back way through the hills this time. It's getting antsy, I don't think we can wait until night."  
The hills would be more of a challenge and would make for a longer walk, but they circled around the town, which meant it was possible to make it to the forest from my home. At least this time, I felt lucky my house was closer to the outskirts, going that route without being noticed wouldn't have been possible if I were in the middle of town like the majority of houses.  
He pulled the bedroom door open, but didn't meet my eyes.  
Did I really mess up this time?  
"Ah, Hajime, about what I said-"  
"We can't afford to waste time," He quickly cut me off. "We can talk later."  
It was so rushed, I nearly felt shut down.  
Still, I followed behind, Hajime carrying the dragon in tow.  
When he made it out the door, the boy swiftly pulled open his coat and hid the creature beneath it. Obviously noticeable it was hiding, but if anyone saw, they couldn't directly see what.

The sun beat down on my neck, yet the northern breeze made me shiver before I had the chance to feel the warmth.  
I could only hope Hajime knew where he was going, because I had never used the back hills to go to the forest before.


	6. Act Six: A Monster

The air began to get colder as the day darkened, the sky painted with oranges and reds, mixed with grey storm clouds setting in. Would it rain soon?  
I pulled my fur coat tighter around my body as the wind picked up and looked to Hajime.   
His eyes were still focused on the path ahead, his leather boots digging into the grass as he struggled his way up the mountain without any chance to use the hands that wrapped around the dragon.  
"Hajime," I tried, reaching out only for him to push himself ahead.   
"I'm fine." He insisted quickly. "It's just hard to get a grip in this grass."   
Right at that moment, the boy stumbled, earning a surprised chirp from the small dragon that began to wiggle in his arms.   
Without thinking, I reached out and took hold of Hajime's arm to help steady him but he pulled away quickly.  
"I just said I'm fine. Why are you being so weird?"

His sudden remark felt like blades against me and I moved back once more.   
"I-" I wanted to argue back but swiftly held my tongue against upsetting him more. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you Hajime. I just... I don't know, I'm just sorry."  
"Why are you sorry?" Without looking up, his grip around the small beast tightened. "It's not like you said you wanted me or anything. How am I supposed to take that?"  
"I don't know," I bowed my head to the ground, making sure I couldn't meet his eyes as I walked. "Please just forget I said anything, I don't want to lose this-"  
"And what is this?"

His shadow cast over me as I moved ahead. To that, I couldn't give an answer.   
What was this? Was it even a friendship at all? Hajime did say it was, but could it be he had lied to me just to see the dragon?  
He gave a long sigh when I didn't respond, but ceased talking.   
I felt a panic bubble up in my stomach, like a rot that wouldn't go away, anxiety ripping apart my chest. Firmly planting my feet in the ground, I looked up to see his back facing me.

"I don't mind if you hate me, you wouldn't be the first by now. I don't even care if you ignore me or tell everyone else about it. For dropping something like that on you so quickly, I deserve the ridicule. Tell them all "Nagito Komaeda has a crush on a boy", I don't care, but please... Just tell me what we are, and then you never have to see me again after this."  
"It's not about that!" Hajime suddenly whipped around, staring me down with his glistening green eyes. "What about me? Did you even try to be my friend, or was it just selfishly trying to assume I'd like you back if you spent time with me? Was everything we've done a lie?"  
"No!" As my voice rose, the dragon shifted within his arms, urging Hajime to quickly fix his grip. "I've admired you for so long, I just wanted to be someone... Anyone to you. Chiaki, she-"  
"Chiaki?" The moment I mentioned her name, his face darkened. "You talked to her? When was this? Did she tell you to get close to me?"  
The small animal was getting more restless as the energy in the air became thick, more heavy clouds taking to the sky and distant thunder rolled, the smell of an oncoming storm in the air.

I couldn't bring myself to worry about that though, not when I was at risk of losing Hajime to my stupid mouth.   
I felt small against his glare and wanted to curl up and die, I couldn't even meet his face any longer.  
"No," I swallowed back. "She didn't tell me to do anything. I promise, I don't-"  
"Komaeda," Hajime's shoulders suddenly relaxed, his face falling softly. "I thought Chiaki was my friend until I found out the same thing. I'm tired of people not giving me straight answers. Do you only like me because of it too?"  
"It?" I looked up, suddenly confused, before quickly shaking my head. It would be time to ask questions later if he were still even willing to talk to me after this. "No, there's nothing I want in return. I just... Sorry-" My voice cracked, as much as I tried to prevent it. "I didn't expect I'd even talk to you and now I'm saying all this. Why am I so nervous?" I tried to laugh it off but Hajime only rose an eyebrow, not sharing the same smile.  
"I want to trust you," The boy exhaled before turning away. "So I'll believe you for now. I need time to process it too before I decide how I feel about you. Let's just get the dragon to the forest and then we can-"

He didn't find a chance to finish as a spark of fire suddenly lit up the air between us. As I stumbled back, I lost my footing and before I could stop myself, I was rolling down the hill, my body being thrown against gravity like a rag doll.   
Finally, I found my grip as I dug my fingers into the soft dirt, slowing my tumble and allowing me to look back up to Hajime, still at the top of the hill.  
The tiny dragon was now fighting against his arms, sharp teeth snapping against him as he desperately tried to hold it back.  
The white scales of the beast sparkled like a rainbow, but the beauty was only outmatched by the fact it was suddenly attacking him.  
Where did the fire come from?  
I pulled myself back up and took a look to the skies for anything that might've shot at us while I struggled up but nothing could be seen.

"Hajime!" I tried to call but he was a bit too preoccupied to give a response.  
He was right, it was a dangerous creature, we should have left sooner, I shouldn't have avoided talking to him for so long, I shouldn't have approached it in the woods at all.  
It was my fault! 

If anything happened to Hajime, I couldn't.... I couldn't bear it. Thinking that, a surge of energy traveled through my body, giving me a strange sense of strength.   
I didn't care about my nails cracking and breaking as I dragged myself back up the hill, or my knees that might be sore. Rather, my entire body felt numb until I reached the top and without thinking, grabbed the small animal and pulled it off him, only to take on the dragon scratching and clawing for Hajime in my own hold next. I didn't mind taking on that trouble though if it was to protect him.  
"Are you okay?!" My voice came out, slightly louder than I intended.  
"I'm fine," He was panting, out of breath like a dog, but the rope still tied his wrist to the dragon's neck. "What's wrong with him?"  
I couldn't give an answer, likely the only person that could was Gundham but we couldn't turn back into the village now. His scales still sparkled, dimming and lighting up again in a mysterious pattern.

And then it hit me, the scales lighting up in the same pattern of thunder.  
"It's the coming storm!" I tightened my hold. "It must be some sort of electric charge for dragons, right? Maybe if we get into the forest and he doesn't see the sky-!"  
Hajime's face mixed with surprise, confusion, and then a bit of anger.   
"I don't... I don't want to do this anymore, Komaeda. I was wrong to think we could take this on. Someone like me should have never tried to be anything more, just cut the rope and let him go."  
"Huh-"   
I barely had a chance to argue before Hajime pulled a small blade off his belt and sliced the rope. I couldn't hold my grip the moment he was released, and the baby dragon pulled away from my arms and took flight, vanishing into the clouds within moments.   
"Hajime-!" I looked back to him but his face was to the ground, not looking at me. What was wrong with him?!  
"Just forget about it!"   
He didn't sound like himself anymore, and it nearly took me off guard.  
"Komaeda, I'm sorry. But I just can't, we're putting everyone at risk like this."

Ever so slowly, he reached into his coat and revealed the book Gundham had given to us.  
"I asked to borrow it when we split up and decided to read ahead. Do you want to know why the dragons were forced into the ocean?"  
As he spoke, he still refused to look up. It became a bit harder to hear him as the storm came closer but I tried with all my might to understand.  
Hajime opened the book and with a deep breath, began to read.  
"They're not only dangerous but suck the hope and love from anyone with prolonged exposure. They're creatures of death and despair, also called the consumer of hearts. They don't just steal the souls of people, but their environment too."  
As if on cue, a shot of lightning struck the air, and realization set in.  
"So this storm is because of us?"

"And why we started fighting." He clutched the book, shivering just a bit. "And if there's one, there's more. One baby wouldn't start a storm. The adults must be looking for him. They could be coming closer already."  
Suddenly, he slammed the book closed, nearly taking me off guard.  
"If we don't get rid of them, the storm can take us all out. Couldn't you smell the electricity in the air before this?"  
Admittedly, I never noticed anything, but for someone as worthless as I was, that wasn't surprising.  
I shook my head, biting on my lip.

"How long could you sense it? How could you..."  
"Since we found it," He huffed. "This despair I'm feeling... It really makes me want to allow them to destroy us all, but that's just because of the effect the baby had on us, right? With how many times I held it, it must be swaying me faster than anyone else. I know that, and yet... How am I supposed to rid myself of this despair to do a thing about it?"  
"Hajime..."   
I reached out, ready to comfort him but stopped myself.   
"Am I... Allowed to touch you?"  
Rather than responding, he finally rose his head, but I found myself looking into bright red eyes, rather than his beautiful green.


	7. Act Seven: A Secret

The moment his eyes met mine, I felt myself freeze up.  
Was this the despair he was talking about?  
Even when the dragon was staying with me, I never touched it. If I had, maybe we could have been sharing this together.  
Why did Hajime have to suffer like this alone?  
Why did I never notice anything?  
Why did he never tell me?  
I pulled back quickly, but Hajime only frowned.  
"You really had no idea?" 

"I'm not... I'm not sure what you're talking about." I tried my best to keep a steady voice but I'm sure he could hear how it shook with fear.   
And yet, he suddenly smiled like nothing was wrong.  
"I'm relieved. Everyone I grow close to always seems to want to use me for their own gain, but you didn't have any clue at all."  
"Yeah-" I tried to give an awkward laugh. "The perks of being an outsider I suppose? But what are you talking about?"  
Without warning, the boy grabbed my hands quickly, and I felt my heart leap.  
Even when he was being confusing, and even a little scary, I couldn't help my emotions going out of control with the smallest touch.  
The rain started, and not lightly either.  
After the first few drops hit the ground and soaked into our clothing, it was a downpour, and the thunder and lighting with the dark clouds mixed with a mysterious red, distant glow.

"Komaeda," Hajime's voice suddenly brought me back to attention.  
It was fine to ignore that for now, right?  
"I trust you, so I'm going to tell you." His face held a stern, serious look before he sighed, not caring in the slightest about being in the middle of the storm. "It was something I was born with, not anything magical. A rare... Condition." He paused, seemingly to consider his next words before allowing himself to continue.  
"My skills surpass everyone else. No matter what I do, I'm good at it. People have tried to abuse that and claim my work for themselves. Being close to me is some sort of status symbol or a free get-out-of-work-forever card. I was forced to pretend I lost all my skills and it was all just a fluke, but there's still some that want to trick me. Komaeda,"  
His grip tightened,  
"Hajime?" I responded back, but his red eyes were deeply seeded with despair already.  
"You didn't know a thing about that, and you still wanted to be close to me. You're the only person I can trust, right?"  
"Hajime..." 

How much I wanted to swoop in and claim his feelings in return, it was almost painful. But it wasn't... The right time.  
Not when he wasn't himself like this.  
It was certainly news to hear he was filled with talents and skills too, and I would be lying if I said it didn't capture my attention, but now that I heard it out loud, I didn't care about it at all.  
I just wanted Hajime, only him.  
But as he continued to speak, my ears were tuning him out.  
Something was off, and it wasn't just... The entire situation.  
No, the way he spoke, and the storm getting stronger, he was attempting to distract me, stopping us from acting against the dragons.  
"Hajime!" I repeated a second time, allowing myself to squeeze his hands back to interrupt him. "We have to warn everyone, if we don't-"

The boy lurched forward and I wanted to melt, truly melt, as he stole my first kiss right then and there in the middle of the rain.  
My entire body felt weak, I had to be dreaming.  
It was exactly as I imagined kissing Hajime would be like, maybe even better.  
When he pulled back, Hajime was smiling, and I felt no will to move.  
And yet his eyes were dark,  
"You like me, right? Will you stay here with me? Who cares about everyone else?"

I could feel my hope draining from my body as the kiss numbed my lips. My resolve was weakening before I could register it was even melting away. Was this the despair he was feeling?  
I could feel myself starting to forget what I was doing, no longer caring about even my own life.   
My desires were draining from my body, my wants and wishes becoming a black pit, an empty hole.  
I didn't... I didn't want this though, did I?  
I hated this despair.  
Everything around me was swirling, but one thought stayed stuck in my mind, one thing I couldn't let go of.  
It was hope, right?

The one desire my heart wouldn't release, I desired hope.  
I had to hold onto it, or everything would be lost.  
"Hajime," I repeated his name again. Everything within me was screaming to just let it go, but even if I was suffering while fighting against it, I didn't mind. I just couldn't let Hajime fall into that despair.  
He met my eyes without a word, the both of us now soaked to the bone in the rain and lights shining against the sky.  
"Don't let yourself be lost." I forced the brightest smile I could as I leaned in and offered another kiss.  
With every second our lips remained together, more despair flooded my veins and fogged my mind.  
I wanted to help him, even if all my desires were sucked dry, I kept repeating that thought, as though if I let it go for even a second, it would be lost. I would be lost.  
Hajime's warmth melted away as well, all sense of warmth vanishing.

He would probably hate me for kissing him like this, for taking advantage of the situation to steal a kiss, even though he didn't like me the same way I liked him.  
He only kissed me first because of the despair after all.  
I could hear the roaring of dragons in the distance, but even as fear crept close, I would not pull away, not until I took all of Hajime's despair for myself.  
Suddenly, he pushed me back on his own and locked eyes.  
What was once red now returned to the sparkling green that I knew.  
I couldn't tell if I did it though, not with his shocked expression.  
"Komaeda? What are you..."   
Even his voice came out in an echo. I didn't feel grounded to reality any longer. I couldn't hear him anymore.  
I couldn't... Stand, anymore. 

My knees buckled before me and I collapsed upon the hill as darkness speckled my vision.  
Did I hit the ground?  
Did I succeed?   
Did it matter?  
After that, I couldn't tell if I fell asleep or succumbed to despair.


	8. Act Eight: A Loss

I forgot what I was doing, and I'd forgotten where I was.  
My mind had been consumed by darkness.  
I had long tried to suppress it and hide it from anyone. Perhaps out of fear, or to protect him.  
But each day, it only became deeper. I could feel the darkness from the first moment I touched the dragon, I could smell the storm in the air just from its presence, but I didn't want to scare him.

So I tried and I tried to fix the problem before it would become worse, I tried not to give away any hints that I was afraid, but perhaps I made a mistake.  
Each time I touched that dragon, I felt a little piece of me seeping away.   
At first it confused me as to why Komaeda felt nothing, but eventually, I came to realize it was because of my gift. That same gift that led people to trick me, warned me to the oncoming danger.  
Yet... I let it get this far.  
A sense of anger flooded my mind, and then it was a foggy, jumbled mess.  
The last thing I could remember was tying the rope to that small creature, and then I was waking up in the middle of the storm, rain pelting upon my face.  
Electricity crackled through the air, followed by the distant roaring of dragons.  
So I was too late after all, but that wasn't too surprising when all my hope had been drained.  
Why did I awaken though?   
I took a careful look at my surroundings, raising my gaze up to the sky as the fire of dragons bellowed into the storm clouds.  
"Hajime..." 

It was barely a whisper, almost unnoticeable among the sound of the wind and thunder, but I looked down to Komaeda crumbled upon the ground.  
His lime eyes were glazed over and lost in the abyss, even his pale skin looked almost grey.  
The twisted smile upon the boy's voice was pained, and he hugged himself tightly, practically tearing into his large fur coat.  
"I'm sorry," He laughed out, the rain making it difficult to tell if he was crying or not. "It's all my fault," He continued, "I'm a burden on you, and the rest of the town. I'm no Viking, I'm barely a human. Please Hajime, please just kill me." 

Suddenly, he reached out, grabbing a handful of my pants and looking up to meet me.   
"Hajime, it hurts, please. Why does this despair hurt so much?"  
Something within my chest twisted at seeing him in such a state. He didn't seem to be in this reality any longer.   
It quickly clicked on how I was able to awaken, and I was feeling an emotion I didn't seem to have ever felt beforehand.  
Komaeda released my pants, allowing me to kneel down to his level.  
"Why did you save me?" I scanned his face but it was a fruitless attempt to read him. It would be useless to ask him anything in that state, I would just need to fix everything first.   
Dragons are... Eaters of hearts. Not physically, but they consumed the positive feelings the heart held, leaving nothing but a pit of pain and hate.  
It was impossible to forget what I'd read in Gundham's book.  
Exhaling, I rose up once more and drew my sword.

"Hajime!" Komaeda quickly cried out the moment I turned my back to him, snapping my attention back once more.  
He looked to the ground as he spoke,  
"I just want to protect you. I don't want you to be hurt. It's so selfish of me, I shouldn't have kissed you like that, I'm sorry, I don't expect you to forgive me. It's unfair I wasn't thinking about everyone else, but that's expected of the lowest of scum."  
I felt... Happy as well, for a strange reason.  
"You saved my life," I tried to give a smile. "I should be thanking you. I'll save you from this despair too and... I accept your confession, alright? Just wait for me to fix everything."  
"Hajime no-!"   
Komaeda reached out, grasping a tight hold of my arm and not allowing me to stand.   
"You can't accept me, you deserve better. It's just a... A stupid crush, nothing more. If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't be here like this. I can't let you run off and hurt yourself, please."

"If you never found it, we wouldn't know what this is. This still would have happened if we left him there."   
My attempt at consoling was only met with pained eyes.  
There was a lot I could say, but having a conversation with someone so overtaken with despair would be like sitting in a docked boat, you wouldn't get anywhere.  
Still, I couldn't just leave him here in the storm.  
As I offered my hand, Komaeda didn't think twice before taking it, allowing me to lead him back down the hill once more.   
The pounding wind nearly knocked the both of us off our feet, and from the height, I could see the village below as Vikings of every age and size were in the streets, bewildered by the storm that was brought on so quickly.

I thought we had more time than this, I'd have insisted harder if that were the case.  
"What is that?" Nagito suddenly spoke up, eyes raised to the sky.  
I followed his gaze to the blazes of fire that painted the dark clouds as he gripped my hand tighter.  
"The adults I'm guessing, come on."  
With a short pull, I carefully attempted to make my way down the hill with him in tow, but with the wet grass, followed with the strong winds, it wouldn't be easy.  
"Hajime?" Komaeda called again.   
"What?"

I was too focused trying not to send us tumbling to look at him.  
"Are you going to try to kill them?" He gave a short nod in the corner of my eye, gesturing to the sword in my other hand.  
"Maybe," The sword was a good idea though, I stabbed it into the ground with each step, only to pull it out once more. The extra grip was perfect. "No," I concluded, only to shake my head. "I don't know. I'm not a killer, plus I can't just leave you behind now that you're..."  
What was even the proper word for it? Despair induced?  
"Wait!"   
Suddenly, Komaeda was in front of me, fingers digging into my coat as he was practically drooling.  
"Hajime, I have an idea."  
"An idea?" I couldn't help my curiosity as I raised an eyebrow. What idea could he have while being torn from his hope?  
Rather than speaking, Nagito looked out to the village, where the Vikings were scattering, preparing themselves and their homes before the storm got any worse.   
But he wasn't looking to the village, but rather the docks, boats tied with ropes to keep them from floating out to sea.  
"I don't understand," I finally admitted, following Komaeda to face me again.  
"We could... Repeat what the Vikings of the past did, and... Push them into the ocean again. They're not here yet, right? Please don't get mad-"  
"Komaeda..." I exhaled for a moment before biting my lip. It was a good idea but... "How are we supposed to do that? The book didn't explain that part."  
His eyebrows furrowed, deep in his own thought before he grinned once more.  
"Gundham taught us something right?"

He gave a pull against my coat to follow, but I planted myself where I stood.  
"For not having any hope, you sure sound optimistic right now."   
How could I not point that out? It was weird, to say the least. I was in complete darkness while I was consumed, why was he so different?  
I could physically see Komaeda tremble just a bit, tightening his grip as his boots threatened to cause a slip against the grass.  
"Well..." The boy hesitated before meeting my gaze. "Why wouldn't I be? You're here with me. It is pretty painful to keep acting happy though." He smiled as he said that, but before I could reply, Komaeda gave another tug, urging us down the hill while he kept talking. "I've never felt such despair, it's like a disgusting ooze, but I want to protect you more than I want to lose to it." 

His words felt empty, as though he were croaking them out just so I wouldn't worry.  
He was such a strange guy, I couldn't get a proper reading on him, and yet I found myself trusting him, as insane as that probably was.  
The storm was getting stronger by the minute, I could barely see two feet in front of my face as the rain rolled and the thunder roared.  
With the storm brought along a fog, draped across the ground like a dark blanket. I didn't feel quite so safe making my way down the hill when I couldn't see my own feet, but with my sword, and Komaeda's hold, I felt the curve of the hill flatten to solid ground and let out a sigh of relief from a breath I didn't realize I was holding.   
A roar reverberated the very skies and only from the silhouette from the ocean could I see the shape of a massive beast rising from depths. I felt my heart drop, but there wasn't much of a chance to allow reality to sink in before Komaeda gave another pull, a bit sharper than the last ones.  
"We should get to the boats, Hinata," His eyes were lost behind a vortex of what I could only describe as a whirlpool of pure insanity.


	9. Act Nine: A Challenge

"This is insane,"  
I pushed,  
"Do you realize that? We're pushing a boat in the middle of a storm,"  
I grunted as I pushed again,  
"To face a dragon-"  
It finally was pushed off the sand and Komaeda gave no response as he quickly jumped in as the waves picked it up.   
Obviously, it was totally insane. Who takes a boat onto the waters during a storm of this size?  
Why was I following Komaeda after he was influenced by despair? Why did I ever listen to him at all?  
It's not like I actually had a thing for him in reality.  
Maybe... Maybe I wouldn't be opposed to it in the future, I did truly accept his confession but why was I trusting his plan when I only just learned about his feelings?  
Shouldn't you at least go on one date before you steal an armored boat, ride out into the ocean during a thunderstorm, and slay a beast?  
I quickly grabbed a hold of the railing and pulled myself in before it was completely swept up and I lost my chance.  
The waves nearly knocked me back before I found solid footing.  
"So what's the plan?" I turned attention to Komaeda, where he was hyperfocused on gazing beyond the rain.  
It was all too apparent he wasn't completely grounded in reality. Really, at any moment, he could lose his grasp on reality and fall into the same darkness I did.  
If that occurred... What would happen to us?  
Without thinking, I took his hand, tearing his attention away from the beast.  
"Hajime?"

"You alright?"  
"Yeah," He simply smiled. "We just need to send them back to the water. When that happens..."  
"How do we do that?" That probably should have been something I was made more clear of before I jumped into the boat, but I was too focused on everything else to even think about questioning his plan deeper.  
Komaeda looked down to his free hand before balling it into a fist.  
"I'll do what Gundham did with the baby. That touch... If we control it, we can send it back to the water?"  
Speaking of the baby, what happened to it after it took to the skies?  
I looked up but that was a lost cause as my face was pelted with drops. If it wasn't being a danger in that moment, at least we could hold off until we get the one bigger than a sycamore tree.   
"How do you expect to touch a dragon without dying?" I gave his hand a small squeeze when he suddenly pulled away to make his way to the other side of the boat and pick something up that had been left behind.   
It was too difficult to make out until he rose it up to me, revealing a large bow,   
"You can shoot and get its attention! If it comes closer, I can try!"   
A large grin spread across his face as he offered it out, which I found myself accepting hesitantly.  
It was insane, it was all completely insane.  
But it could work.

"Use your talent, Hajime!" He clasp his hands with excitement. "I believe in you!"  
Right...  
Whatever he said, I was sure I could do it. Even if I couldn't see the dragon directly, I could see the dark shape writhing in the water not far off. With a target that big, a baby could do it.  
"I got this, I'm a Viking after all."  
Still, I inhaled deeply and drew back.  
When was the last time I didn't have to hide my talent? Could I even still do it after so long of pretending it didn't exist?  
I shook the thoughts away quickly though, I couldn't start doubting myself now.   
As I released, the arrow vanished into the darkness and for a long moment, I found myself holding my breath, waiting for something to happen.  
Did I miss after all?  
Suddenly, a roar cried out and the dragon splashed, forcing a wave to slam against the boat and throwing us both back onto the dock painfully.  
I held my grip to the bow tightly at the very least, assuring it wouldn't fall overboard.  
I took a glance to Komaeda, still lying down and looking a bit dizzy from the throw, but overall alright.  
When I climbed up, I readied another arrow.  
I had to have gotten it for that reaction, so I had some semblance of the distance to aim for now. Again, I released and a cry thundered with even more moving.  
But rather than splashing, the dragon began moving.   
With the way the shadow was twisting itself around, I barely registered it was coming closer until I heard Komaeda's alarmed yell as he was still struggling to stand,   
"Hajime, shoot!"

It was so sudden of a command that I found myself scrambling for an arrow, only to be a complete mess and drop it in my panic.  
"Hajime!" He called again, but when I finally picked it up and readied it, the massive shadow was already upon us.  
I could feel my entire body freeze with the shadow towering over us.   
Was this where we died?  
I closed my eyes tightly, biting my lip and lowering my head. If I was about to die, I didn't want to see it coming.  
I held my breath, and simply waited.   
Not quite the heroic Viking I wanted to be but I still wanted to be simply me in the end if I could.  
But everything was falling still, the sound of thunder dying down as the rain was not only slowing, but coming to a halt entirely.  
Did I die without any pain at all? I didn't even register my own death.  
I felt warmth on my neck, and light across my eyes, but when I couldn't hold my breath any longer and released, I could feel the calming of my lungs.  
"Hajime," Komaeda finally echoed quietly.  
Did I even want to see?

I didn't get my answer before I cracked open my eyes.  
The first thing I saw was a mass of white scales before me, and looked across to Komaeda.  
Before I even looked at Komaeda, my attention was taken to the beast before him.   
A massive head, with just a single eye larger than his entire body, and yet he kept his hand placed on its scales, keeping it frozen in front of the boat.   
"He was right..." Komaeda exhaled, obviously shaking. "It'll listen to us now."  
That couldn't possibly be true, stopping a beast just like that. I dropped the bow and hurried to Komaeda's side to look up at the dragon's large snout.  
"If that's true, take it back. Can you do that? Take back the despair, I mean."  
The dragon simply blinked, not knowing a word I was saying.   
"It's not that easy," The boy softly laughed and lowered his arm. "Because... He's not the one that stole our hope. Didn't you say before the parents were only coming for the baby?"

That's right, but even with the skies clear, I didn't see any sign of a baby dragon flying about.   
It couldn't have just vanished into nothing, so where-   
With a small tap to my shoulder, Komaeda gestured to the front of the boat where the tiny dragon had perched, and stayed watching us without a care.  
Anger bubbled in my gut, and I opened my mouth to snap before I inhaled and calmed myself. Nothing good would come out of yelling at an animal.  
"Do you really think this is going to make a change?" I allowed myself to ask, only for Komaeda's eyes to darken ever so softly.  
"I can't give you the response you're looking for, just the opportunity now. But please choose quick, it's so painful to keep myself clearheaded."  
As he cocked his head with a pained smile, his once fluffy hair, now drenched, flowed around his shoulders.   
"Komaeda..." I started before giving a sigh. 

He kept saying how worthless he was, but that wasn't true at all, not after he took on the grunt of my despair and stopped an entire dragon.   
It was impossible for him to see that part of himself when his thoughts and mind were flooding with darkness with each passing second.   
I gave a short glance to the baby dragon, then back to Komaeda, where an idea struck me.   
"The dragons don't know what we're saying, we can't just ask them to give it back."  
"Of course not," He didn't hesitate his reply.

"So what if we show them we want it back," It seemed like a solid enough plan, but his face was muddled in confusion, urging me to continue. "You took on all of my despair because you were intending to take it, what if I intend to give you my hope?"  
He blinked once, then twice, falling into silence as his expression went from confusion, to understanding, hesitancy, and bleakness once more.   
"Hajime... You don't have to try to save me. I chose this. That's only a hypothesis, we can't be expected to understand how it works. For all you know, I was just taking advantage of everything to steal a kiss while you didn't know what was happening."  
"That's just the despair talking," Probably not, but I didn't want him to truly believe that. "I want to take the chance, plus, what if I want to just kiss you?"  
His eyes widened as he appeared taken aback, but I was done with bickering. Before he could find a retort, I leaned close and captured him in a warm kiss.  
His lips were cold, yet soft and a bit dry, which was amazing in of itself after that storm.  
He didn't stop me, but it took a few seconds before he let myself return it back.  
I wasn't sure what he was feeling, but I sure didn't feel like the despair was returning to me. I simply let myself continue kissing him for as long as possible before he set his hands on my shoulders, ever so lightly pushing me back to break it.  
Face now a warm pink, and eyes glistening with shyness and pricked with tears, but now his normal green.  
"Hajime, you're... Such an idiot," I felt his hands shaking as he gripped me. "Why did you take that risk? I wanted to protect you."  
"And I wanted to protect you, alright?"   
How did this suddenly get so awkward? I averted my eyes,   
"It all worked out, right?"

I turned to the baby dragon, who was in the middle of yawning as exhaustion overtook the small baby.  
"Its meal was stolen," Komaeda muttered, "I'm guessing he needs to nap now."  
No words were exchanged as the baby chirped, with the adult giving a puff of smoke through its nostrils and a slow blink, which was apparently dragon for, "Let's go."  
The baby didn't argue, jumping into the water after the adult that was lowering itself below the waves once more.   
Silence remained after the dragons were gone before I finally allowed reality to set in and collapsed upon the dock,  
"I never want to see another one of those things again."  
"It was still pretty cute until the soul-eater deal," Komaeda awkwardly laughed as he kneeled beside me, "What are we going to say to everyone when we get back?"  
"Who knows," I simply shrugged. "I'm sure we'll figure something out."  
Giving a small hum, Komaeda allowed himself to sit, the both of us looking like drowned rats,  
"Were you... Serious about what you said? That you really accept my feelings?"  
"Yeah," For that, I didn't directly look at him, "I mean... Waiting at least a little bit before our first kiss was ideal but we can still have a first date, right?"  
The awkward boy blinked before giving a bright smile,  
"Right. A date with Hajime. I'd like that a lot. But there's one thing I still don't understand?"  
"What?" I raised an eyebrow, urging Komaeda to continue.  
"That fire when it first started, where did it come from?"

"You realize dragons can breathe fire, right?"  
I sat up, meeting his eyes curiously.   
Komaeda looked down to the hand that he had set on the adult dragon and gave a small laugh before looking up once more.   
"What?"


End file.
